


When we scraped our bones together, We got fire

by sandtiago



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Angst, DadSchlatt, Fluff, HTTYD universe, Sleepy Boys, also on Wattpad, god i cant write tags, protag wilbur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandtiago/pseuds/sandtiago
Summary: When the supposed dragon killer Wilbur Soot stumbles into a revelation, he struggles to keep his new friend's secret.(That descripion SUCKED im sorry, please just read lmao. This fic will also be published on wattpad, so don't worry if you see it there! The idea for this came from @youraunttayler (Dragon species matched to MCYT) on Tiktok, so i think other variations of this have been done. I promise that other than the idea, this is my work. Thank you!!)[Contains Swearing. Title is from 'September - Sparky Deathcap', which is a song Wilbur uses in his intros :)
Relationships: thats very icky vicky
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	1. A Fate worse than Dying

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading this i will kiss you on the mouth if you give me kudos (and consent of course)
> 
> also if you haven't heard 'Jubilee Line' before this you should probably listen to it, it's by Wilbur :)

For a brother of Technoblade, Wilbur Soot was pretty fucking stupid when it came to killing dragons.

The rumours weren't true, of course, Wilbur had never even laid so much as a finger on a dragon, (especially a Monstrous Nightmare, even if his brothers and father were intent on perpetuating that stereotype).

No, no. Wilbur was sent to retrieve missing sheep. Wilbur was sent on the most boring mission anyone could possibly receive, and it was all thanks to the 'fact' that he could and would murder anything that came close to the herd.

It wasn't all bad, he supposed.

The morning air was fresher out here, and there was something peaceful about how the lofty pine trees blocked out most of the sunlight.

Wilbur inhaled as he ran a hand through his hair, his steady pace coming to a halt.

The brother of Technoblade had seen dead sheep before.

But never completely picked clean, with it's white ribcage exposed and discarded on the springy pine floor.

A wild animal. Probably a wolf or something got to it, even though there weren't any wolfs remotely near L'manberk.

Wilbur's stomach dropped as his eyes made out a clearly abandoned path, hidden between innumerable ferns.

For God's sake, he'd only been walking for half an hour or so. Wilbur kicked a rock in frustration, which just made him even more angry.

Wilbur took a breath, and held it as he pushed path the foliage.

It wasn't a bowl per se, more like an eroded square. In the middle of the clearing, the discarded ruins of a well were basically invisible under a thick layer of what looked like amber.

...Amber.

Wilbur's eyes widened as he took in more of the clearing, stepping forward. Barely alive sheep bleated at him, encased within a tomb of the orange stuff alongside smaller dragons. They weren't contained to the ground, either. Some were suspended on the rocky cream-coloured cliff face at an impossible angle.

There were only two words that came to Wilbur's mind.

FUCK THIS!

He turned to bolt, and the rattling hiss that came from above him did nothing to stop his pursuit of freedom.

Unfortunately, the quickly hardening amber did.

His hands scraped the ground, barely stopping his descent. Wilbur was aware that only the lower part of his left leg had been successfully hit, but more shots followed until only his upper body and a single arm was free.

Well, this was it. Goodbye L'manberk! Wilbur found that he didn't miss the damaged land, only his family and maybe Niki. He wondered how she would react to the news of his death, and hoped that she would at least bake him a goodbye cake.

Wilbur couldn't turn, and perhaps it was for the better that he didn't see his approaching doom. The dragon didn't agree, as it circled him until it located his eyes.

Almost as if it were in a performance, it skulked a few steps away, frills out and exposed. After determining that he was no longer a threat, the Death Song sat.

Wilbur felt regret that he would be killed by such a beautiful thing, and not something that was suited to his personality better, like falling off a cliff.

Wilbur recognised it from Techno's relentless dragon identification training. It was unusually thin, but that didn't seem to cause any off-colouring. It's gorgeous orange-yellow wings and body were complimented by ringed purple and dark blue spots, very similar to a rare butterfly Wilbur saw once. It's eyes were a duller yellow, but still intense with a slitted red iris pooled around a dark pupil.

It squawked. What a pathetic noise to be the last one Wilbur heard.

He shut his eyes.

...

...

...And opened them right back up to see the Death Song, curled up mere metres away from him in what seemed to be a deep sleep.

Wilbur clenched his jaw. That motherfucker wasn't going for a nap anytime soon.

"YOUR CITY GAVE ME ASTHMA, SO THAT'S WHY IM FUCKING LEAVING" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, instantly waking the dragon.

He hadn't performed his song in a while, so his memory was foggy with lyrics. The dragon hissed, and futilely tried to curl back up.

"AND YOUR WATER, GAVE ME CANCER" The dragon opened an eye, and Wilbur grinned a shit-eating grin. "AND YOUR PAVEMENT HURT MY FEELINGS!"

In a flash, the dragon was on it's hind legs, letting out a strangely rhythmic roar. Terrified, Wilbur paused for a few seconds.

"SHHHHOOOOOUUUUTTT AT THE WALLS" The dragon roared again, it's frills exposed as if daring him to do it continue, but Wilbur carried on.

"CAUSE THE WALLS DON'T FUCKING LOVE YOU!" He repeated the line, and the dragon lowered itself, his head cocked to one side. Wilbur wasn't sure when he had decided that the dragon was male, but it sure acted like it.

Opting to skip the instrumental, Wilbur jumped ahead to the chorus, skipping a few lines even then and replacing a few words at random.

"THERE'S A REASON,"

"LONDON PUTS BARRIERS ON THE TUBELINE,"

"THERE'S A REASON,"

"LONDON PUTS BARRIERS ON THE RAILS"

"THERE'S A REASON,"

"LONDON PUTS BARRIERS ON THE TUBELINE"

"THERE'S A REASON,"

"They fail."

As the butchered song came to a close, Wilbur quietened. The dragon wasn't making a fuss anymore, it seemed to be watching him intently. Good. Maybe he'd finally annoyed it enough to be eaten.

The Death Song didn't move.

"I'll do it again," he threatened. "Even worse, this time."

The dragon growled in response, but it didn't seem aggressive. Closer to inviting, playful even.

Wilbur took a breath.

"WHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- WEEE!" He hollered, preparing to sing one of his more lively songs.

The dragon growled, and Wilbur felt it's thin, snakelike tail whip the back of his head. 

"Hey, dude, what the fuck?" He asked, rubbing his head with his free hand. It came away with the smallest amount of blood, and Wilbur frowned.

The dragon warbled, but Wilbur just looked at him with a confused, slightly angry expression.

It seemed to be getting increasingly agitated, until finally, it stood up on it's hind legs and took a few steps back.

Perfectly, note by note in an entrancing harmony, the Death Song recited the last part of Wilbur's song.

Wilbur was shocked, too shocked to even come up with a remark as it dropped down his his level once again and stared at him expectantly. Was it just him, or did it's pupils seem wider?

"You want to...duet?" Wilbur suggested, the thought absurd.

The dragon stared at him, and took a few steps closer to the human. It nudged his chest, with a firm caution to not impale him with it's hooked nose horn.

Hesitant, Wilbur slowly drew his hand up and stroked the area above it's eyes, brushing back the small yet flexible tufts of keratin.

"Jubilee." The word escaped his mouth almost involuntarily, but the dragon growled so low it was closer to purring.

Suddenly, as if sensing something he didn't, the dragon spun, it's frills opening once more as it's eyes reverted back into thin slits. It opened it's wings, and the dragon's jaw displayed a set of magnificent teeth.

Suddenly, Wilbur could hear it too. Someone crashing through the trees amongst angry whispers.

Tense, Wilbur glanced at the source of the noise. If it was someone from L'manberk, everything would be ruined.

"WIILBUUR?!" The voice was deafening, and Wilbur relaxed slightly at the familiarity. Jubilee, however, didn't.

Sword in hand, Tommy's familiar red and white gear came into view along with his red face. He took a few seconds, hands on knees, to catch his breath, and then stood up.

Tommy's high pitched scream would have been funny in any other circumstances, but Wilbur was more concerned. He watched as Jubilee opened his mouth, ready to spit at Tommy. 

Something told him that Jubilee wouldn't be as forgiving towards his brother as he had been to Wilbur.

"Is Techno with you? Tommy? TOMMY IS TECHNO COMING HERE?" Wilbur prompted, his voice laced with increasing urgency at every word.

Tommy nodded, just as the masked Technoblade entered the scene. Wilbur's elder brother didn't hesitate to pull out his loaded crossbow as he registered the scene, completely stone-faced.

Silently, Wilbur willed his new friend to escape. "Techno!" He yelled, distracting the sibling for a crucial moment. He said a wordless thanks and goodbye as Jubilee bolted into the sky with a final, loud yet melodic rattle-like screech.

Techno cursed murderously under his breath as the prime target escaped. It didn't matter if he had a proven Night Fury kill under his belt, Techno always wanted more of a challenge.

Tommy looked just about ready to faint, but Techno looked at Wilbur's situation with obvious delight.

"Good luck getting out of that on your own, nerd." Techno grinned as he stashed the crossbow back on his belt.

~~~

It had taken nearly three hours and a team of Phil and Tubbo to get Wilbur out of the amber. Techno and Tommy had just watched with obvious enjoyment, often pointing out useless suggestions. 

The walk home had been mostly quiet, but Phil was glad to see Wilbur was still in one piece, minus a gash on the back of his head that Wilbur hadn't noticed. Tommy had immediately taken to exaggerating the situation to anyone who would listen, including Tubbo. Wilbur rolled his eyes, and tried to ignore Techno's foreboding silence.

After a trip to L'manberk's only Medic (that Phil had insisted upon), Dr Halo had concluded that the scratch wasn't anything serious but he should rest up. Wilbur had obliged somewhat willingly, only venturing outside of his room for dinner hours later.

"Hey, Big Man!" Tommy grinned, his grandiose meal of only chicken already devoured as Wilbur walked outside. "How's the brain damage?"

Wilbur clenched his teeth. "It was literally just a bump." He sat down, opposite Techno and his untouched food (that was strange, Techno usually had better things to do than eat dinner with them). Phil was absent, as usual. You couldn't expect much else from the chief of L'manberk.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. You'll cover for me, right? Back up the story where I punched that bitch into tomorrow?" Tommy slammed a fist down onto the table, and as Wilbur nodded he thought about how he was immediately going to dispute that claim.

"So how did you get that cut?" Techno spoke, his voice even more gravelly than usual from not having spoken for hours. He didn't make eye contact when Wilbur looked up, surprised.

"I guess I must've hit it trying to escape. It was going to eat me, before you showed up." Wilbur's lie was flawless, he had been perfecting it all afternoon.

Techno raised an eyebrow, the mask abandoned at home. "How? You fall backwards or something?"

"You know, now that I think about it, it might have been on a tree branch."

"A tree branch." Techno's voice was laced with sarcasm, and Wilbur used the opportunity to take a bite of his food.

"Yeah. Did you guys see all the sheep, or were you too busy making fun of me?"

Tommy nodded, and was about to speak before Techno interrupted.

"Wait, so you just waltzed right in, saw the Death Song, ran, hit your head on a tree branch, and then it spat amber at you?"

Wilbur thought the lie had been foolproof, but perhaps not. "What about that isn't clicking, Techno?"

Dramatic as always, Techno shoved himself away from the table on his chair and stood up. He kept his neutral expression as he replied "Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong. I'm going to help Phil."

He promptly exited the large room, plate still untouched.

Tommy glanced at Wilbur, his eyes opening as if to ask wordlessly what was his deal. Wilbur shrugged, and stood up.

"I'm going to bed, I'll see you tomorrow."

But sleep was the last thing on Wilbur's mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is 'Jubilee Line', by Wilbur! :)


	2. My backpack's from friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur finds that he has himself two surprises for the night.

The song was one of Jubilee's favourites.

Wilbur had barely managed to escape the suspicious gaze of his elder brother. Only an essential evening gathering about the state of the island's cattle had drawn him away, and Wilbur knew his time with the Death Song was running out.

The taught strings of his instrument were tuned to Jubilee's liking, but as Wilbur played the familiar tune he worried someone would hear the pair. Even though they were miles from the town, the reverberating beach seemed intent on sharing Jubilee's melody throughout the whole island.

They were a good team, with Wilbur strumming his guitar and Jubilee's warbles somewhat resembling the lyrics Wilbur had previously demonstrated.

As the song came to a close, Will grinned. The Death Song's open maw almost resembled something similar.

The L'manberkian stood, his boots digging into the sand. Wilbur sighed, and cautiously stroked Jubilee's head. There was no need for caution, however, because it seemed that he was the only human Jubilee actually liked.

With a wishful heart, Wilbur plodded over to the trail that lead to L'manberk. Jubilee's swift movement to block it was almost endearing, but Will knew he had to get back early.

"I have to get back."

Jubilee cocked his head.

"Let me through, please."

The Death Song's large frills flicked open for a second, then shut almost as quickly.

Opting to try and ignore the large reptile, Wilbur dashed under it's marigold-yellow wing.

As if offended, the dragon growled. But Wilbur didn't stop running.

A horrible thought struck him. What if Jubilee followed him all the way to L'manberk? The dragon would surely be killed on sight, Wilbur would be questioned and probably thrown out. What then? He could join the Dreasmp colony, but they were a wild card in the archipelago deck. In fact, Wilbur wasn't sure if they would even accept a former L'manberkian.

Jubilee appeared in front of him again, obviously disgruntled. 

"I'll set my pig of an older brother on you if you don't get out of my way." Wilbur scowled, trying to put on a tough façade. He would never actually endanger Jubilee in that way.

When the dragon refused to move, Wilbur stepped forward to give him a shove. He tripped, which Jubilee seemed to find incredibly amusing.

"Shut up." Wilbur grunted, righting himself with difficulty. Jubilee watched with intense fascination, then poked him in the chest with his tail. Wilbur didn't fall, but a dirty look further delighted the Death Song.

Deciding that the bolt move had the best result, Wilbur hurtled under Jubilee's wing once again. 

He got further than his last attempt, but before he could gain any real traction Will felt himself being hoisted upwards.

Barely concealing a scream, Wilbur settled for a yell.

"JUBILEE WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"

The only response was a squawk. The terror Wilbur had felt the day before returned. Maybe he hadn't done anything to win the dragon's trust, and it was all just a ploy. He cursed at himself for being so stupid as they ascended to an unreal height.

Wilbur's stomach dropped, along with the rest of his body, as Jubilee's strong talons let him go.

The freefall wasn't peaceful, as he had previously speculated.

The intrusive thoughts began to gather. About how his family would know how he had died here. How Techno and Phil would tell the tribe he had drowned, was crushed, poisoned or something stupid because they couldn't handle the fact that it was a dragon that killed him. Tommy would probably tell them, but who would listen to a teenager?

And then the thoughts vanished. Because Wilbur found himself clinging to the smooth scales of Jubilee's neck.

Not even daring to sit up, Wilbur opened an eye. He was further back, with a curved spike stopping him from slipping down the dragon's spine. Wilbur's feet weren't able to find any support, so they swung limply just in front of Jubilee's wing. Death Song's horns were one of their most defining features, as they were long and ridged. It was thanks to this fact that Wilbur was able to reach them from his position.

Wilbur knew that if Jubilee stopped cruising, they would both be positioned upright due to the nature of a Death Song's build. So he didn't think, only sat.

It was more than a good decision. Wilbur hadn't noticed how high they were, so the fading torchlight of the village was barely visible underneath the unusually opaque clouds. The clouds were Wilbur's favourite part — It was something about the way they reflected the navy blue colour of the L'manberkian sky.

Unable to help himself, Wilbur let out a whoop. Fears abandoned, he threw his head back and arms out, feeling freer than he ever had on the ground. Jubilee joined him in his cries, and Wilbur felt their bond grow stronger.

The pair sailed for a while longer, but Wilbur's ecstasy didn't dampen. Jubilee landed near the spot where they had first met, and Wilbur immediately dismantled the dragon to give him a hug. Jubilee affectionately nudged him, before departing to somewhere unseen in the night sky.

Wilbur closed his eyes, unable to keep the stupid grin off his face. After a few seconds, he opened them, intending to return back to their house.

And he would have done that, if it weren't for the gangly teenagers standing shell-shocked in front of him.

Before Tommy could make a sound, Wilbur rushed him, clamping one hand over his mouth and the other around his shoulder. He wasn't worried about Tubbo, who usually had a milder and more sensible reaction to things. Tubbo would wait for Tommy's command, as he always did. It was one of the very few things Wilbur disliked about him, always being a yes-man to his youngest brother.

Wilbur's hand quickly snapped back due to a sharp pain, and Wilbur glanced at it to see a bite mark. 

"Tommy, I can explain."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" The red-shirted boy probably intended to run and babble to Techno, but the only way that would happen was if Wilbur was dead.

"Shut up" Wilbur hissed, and despite the risk of losing a finger he repeated the clamping action.

Wilbur took a breath. "Alright, Tommy, I'm going to let you go. Be more like Tubbo. Don't be a problem child and run, okay?" It took several precious, tense moments, but Tommy nodded.

Wilbur stepped back, now blocking the two from passing the makeshift pathway. "So," he paused, grinning and spreading his arms. "What would you two like to know?"

It was an explosion of voices, from both boys.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

"How'd you tame it?"

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

"Was it the same one that trapped you yesterday?"

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WILL."

and finally, from both of the teenagers,

"CAN I HAVE ONE?"

Wilbur's eyes widened. Clearly this would take more mental strength than he had hoped for. He quickly summarised the events of yesterday and tonight, glancing behind himself every so often.

"-and NO, you cannot tame a Death Song. I didn't even know there were any on this side of the archipelago. Jubilee hates you anyway." Wilbur finished, slightly out of breath and a small bit jealous. 

"But think about the possibilities! We can get Bad to swear by force!" Tommy grinned maliciously, no doubt thinking about worse things as he rubbed his little gremlin hands together. 

"He's a doctor, Tommy, call him Dr Halo."

Tubbo beamed at his friend. "AIR PVP!!" He suggested, surprising Wilbur. He hadn't pegged the quiet teen to be on Tommy's level of violence, but maybe he'd read him wrong.

"No, you don't understand!" Wilbur yelled, his voice rising with concern. "They'll kill me, Tommy, they'll kill Jubilee! You cannot tell anyone, I mean anyone, else this." Wilbur ran a hand through his hair, his mind instantly jumping to worse case scenarios. "You can't- oh god, you cannot tell Techno."

Tommy took a step forward, his eyebrows creasing. He put a hand on Wilbur's shoulder, and the elder brother stopped his pacing.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, neither is Tubbo. I'm your bro."

Wilbur visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping slightly. Tommy glimpsed to the side, clearly uncomfortable with the sincerity.

"But oh man, once you figure out how to tame a Monstrous Nightmare? I want to be the FIRST to know, fo' sure!"

Will couldn't help but wince at the misplacement of the phrase, but he smiled gratefully nonetheless.

The three made their way back to L'Manberk, moving slowly while animatedly discussing potential strategies to make dragon training even more dangerous only to be immediately shut down by Wilbur.

They didn't arrive back until about half and hour later. Wilbur and Tommy said their goodbyes to Tubbo as he headed back home to his father. It was nearing midnight, but Wilbur bitterly suspected that Schlatt wouldn't even be awake to worry about his son.

The pair opened the door. Tommy had explained beforehand about how he supposedly snuck out to the forest on the terms that Techno would be at the meeting for another hour, so Wilbur wasn't worried about him or Phil.

This was a mistake, as Techno was obviously sitting at the dinner table in a completely dark room.

He scared the shit out of Tommy, ominously waiting for their arrival. Techno hadn't made a sound until Wilbur had lit a lantern, and the 6'3 hardened warrior in full battle gear patiently waiting with his arms folded was quite a sight to behold.

"Where were you?" His voice seemed gravelly, but Wilbur wondered if this time it was from overusing his loud meeting voice all night.

Tommy opened his mouth, but a swift yet subtle kick silenced him. Like hell Wilbur was going to let Tommy cover for them.

"Tommy and Tubbo needed another player for hide and seek." Wilbur shrugged as he tried to ignore the offended look on Tommy's face. Sure, it wasn't his best excuse, but it was better than anything a teenager could come up.

"In the woods, at night?" Techno almost growled under his mask. It was one of the only times Wilbur had seen Techno wearing it at home, which put him further on edge.

"It adds spice, Techno. You should come with us sometime. How was the meeting?"

He couldn't see it, but Wilbur just knew that Techno had sceptically raised his eyebrow.

"The gathering was tedious, as always. Phil had to leave early, just to get some rest, so I took over. It was also outside, but I doubt any of the other council members were enjoying the scenery." Techno gritted his teeth, and looked pointedly at Wilbur. 

"That's good, men over 70 need their 12 hours of sleep." Tommy grinned, as if unable to hold it in as he drew looks from both Techno and Wilbur.

"Wasn't your bedtime like five hours ago?" Techno cracked a small smile, something Wilbur hadn't seen in days.

Huffing, Tommy soundlessly headed upstairs. Wilbur was about to follow until Techno spoke.

"Will, I don't know where you've been, but it hasn't been playing hide and seek." The eldest brother tentatively put a hand under his mask, rubbing his temple. 

"If it's important to you, fine. I don't care, honestly, but you need to know that tonight Schlatt suggested that we hunt down that Death Song, for what it did to you and the sheep. Dr Halo and Niki were the only ones that objected." Techno lowered his head.

Wilbur stuttered. "But he- He can't do that! Schlatt isn't even relevant!" The middle child's mind began to race, once again jumping to the worse case scenarios.

Techno shrugged. "He is now." He seemed as if he were hesitating, or even weighing a decision.

"If I were that dragon, I'd probably scurry off to whatever island is the closest. It'd probably be the Badlands, though hypothetically it would need someone like Dr Halo's help to get there." 

The elder brother finally took off his mask, and made eye contact. His face remained passive.

"I hear their leaders have a method of taming dragons there, of all the regressive things. Anyways, the Death Song would probably need to lay low for a week or two before the council gets bored. Maybe they'll finally kick Schlatt off." Techno chuckled to himself as he stood up.

Just as he was about to disappear out of sight and into his room, Techno poked his head out. "Say, Will, don't you have that internship with Dr Halo coming up? I know you said you weren't going to do it, but I would reconsider if I were you. A medic is a very stable career path, you know!"

Wilbur's elder brother shut his door, leaving Will to think only about his words and signature grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have NO IDEA where this is going so sorry if the updates take long <3
> 
> Song is 'Since I Saw Vienna' By Wilbur! :)


	3. I'm a genius, I'm really fucking smart.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream begins to scheme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes this chapter is way longer than i planned, but i really like it anyways.
> 
> the chapter title lyric is from "I Am Very Smart", on Wilbur Music :)

"They're fucking stupid, Dream, honestly. Nobody even gave a shit about your message."

The man's words were starting to slur together, surely as a result of the fine liquor Dream had provided. The charred wooden table was littered with empty shot glasses, yet the few in front of Dream lay untouched.

"Go on." Without even thinking, Dream's gloved fingers found the handle of his axe. Even with all the leverage he held, it gave him a slight relief in the crowded, dark bar where anyone might recognise his face.

Slumped on the table, Schlatt lifted his head up to meet Dream's eyes with a conman's smile. "More booze, and I might consider it."

Impatient, Dream shoved a glass towards the council member, nearly spilling the expensive contents. He downed it in a single gulp, and took a few breaths before continuing.

"Phil brought it to the table at the start, but everyone had different suggestions so we left it for next week. God, I can hardly remember anything else."

Dream waited for a few seconds, inviting Schlatt to elaborate. When he didn't Dream stood up, jaw clenched. He would have walked out, not even caring about the bill, if Schlatt hadn't spoken.

"My mind's just so foggy, even about pig's little brother flying on a dragon."

The chair screeched against the polished floor as Dream instantly sat back down. "Technoblade's brother?" 

Their rivalry wasn't quite infamous, but Dream would bet that most of the adults this side of the archipelago knew about it. It was where he'd gotten his defining scar, the goddam crescent scar along his lips that made it so hard to go unrecognised.

"Listen, Dream, I'm a businessman. And you're lucky that our arrangement only has three conditions, one of them being that you buy me the good stuff whenever we meet." Schlatt smiled again as he held up his empty glass. "And I'm willing to bet that you need me more than I need you. Hell, I could let everyone in this Badlands bar know that there's a wanted criminal in their midst and walk away."

Dream got the point. The next round was there in seconds, but he wasn't going to let a drunkard get the better of him.

"Wanted criminal this, wanted criminal that." Dream leant forward, the grotesque scar contorting his face into a grin. "You're forgetting about the other two conditions. I'm sure you could live without booze and my protection, but what about Tubbo?"

It was almost comical how quickly Schlatt's face changed. From confident politician to scowling father. It sobered him up immediately.

Dream leant back, the front of his chair lifting off the ground as he crossed his arms. "You act like you don't give a shit about him, but you do. So I'd suggest you tell me all about last night."

Schlatt paused for a moment, then raised his hands in defense. 

"You sure know how to get the gears going, green man. It was the middle kid, I don't know his name so don't ask. The dragon was huge, actually, pretty much fully grown." Schlatt's eyes widened, as if remembering the memory in clarity.

"Techno knows about it, obviously. I'm not sure about Phil, and nobody else has a clue. A few days ago the same kid was about to be eaten by it, so I suggested we hunt it down." The man shrugged, his fingers adorned with expensive rings curling around yet another shot glass.

"Did you see what kind of dragon it was?" Dream questioned, his interest piqued.

Schlatt thought about it for a good amount of time, which Dream both appreciated and grew wary of. On one hand, he might be making sure it was the right one. This was important, because if Dream planned his attack around the wrong dragon the results would be catastrophic. On the other hand, he may be formulating a lie.

Finally, the council member spoke, his eye contact unwavering.

"It was a yellow Nightmare. The wings were all spindly, and it's neck was long."

Dream exhaled. "Are you sure?" His mind began working in overtime, calculating possible attack formations. Was the dragon loyal? Would it protect L'manberk?

Schlatt's jaw clenched, his frown becoming more prominent. "No, I'm just lying to the man that might kill my son."

Dream nodded, before waving over an attendant. The payment was done discreetly and quickly, and Dream knew he had to get out quick before she realised it was stolen money. The criminal didn't even spare a glance at Schlatt as he exited the bar, fitting the notorious white mask to his face as he escaped.

It was a long walk, the path littered with debris and rock. As he navigated, Dream recalled Sapnap objecting heavily to the location of their temporary hideout and found himself agreeing with the mercenary.

Finally, he arrived at the wreck. It wasn't aesthetically pleasing in the slightest, but it would do. The shipwreck had long been abandoned, not even teens came down here anymore. The algae had dried up, giving the boat a grim green tinge. Jutting planks of wood were hidden in the sand, and anywhere you stepped on the deck was a gamble.

Not even bothering with the code, Dream stretched as entered the ship's once impressive prison. George and Sapnap were playing some sort of card game in one of the cells, Dream didn't bother to ask what it was as he strode over to a makeshift planning board.

"Rejoice! The cap'in 'as returned!" Sapnap cried, throwing his hands in the air in mock happiness. The terrible pirate speak he'd adopted the whole trip was starting to wear on Dream, and he suspected the George was ready to throw him in the brig. He wished Sapnap was more like George.

"Any developments?" George asked, not taking his eyes off the cards.

Dream reached to rub his forehead, then realised the mask was still on. He took it off, storing it in one of his many cape pockets.

"Blade's brother has tamed himself a dragon." Dream spat out the name with venom, scribbling notes on parchment paper and pinning them to the rotting wood.

"Shiver me timbers! Whot a scurvy dog, cap'in. He'll walk the plank for this!" Sapnap stood up, his exaggeration growing. Dream sighed, knowing that he'd never do this in front of anyone else.

George pushed his prized glasses to the top of his head, before considering something. "Well you know what that means."

The statement was enough to silence both Sapnap and Dream as they turned to look at him. George grinned, completely in his element.

"We find ourselves two more dragons to beat it with. I reckon we could do it tonight. There's an island you can walk to at low tide not that far from here. Those dragons wouldn't have even seen a Badlandian." 

The room was silent for a few seconds, before Sapnap burst. 

"DRAGON TAMING CONTEST MOTHERFUCKEEERRRS!"

The two cheered, and it was such an optimistic thought that Dream found himself joining in. George looked at him for approval, and a nod was all it took before the trio was racing across the slowly closing stretch of wet sand.

The rules were simple: Find a dragon. It was considered yours when it allowed you to ride it, and bring it back to the shipwreck. Dream had stated he wasn't worried about anyone seeing them, the night was covered in black storm clouds. The only time limit was that they had to have a dragon before the rain began.

\---

George didn't think he would have any problems finding a dragon. The island was clearly uninhabited, and why would anyone from the Badlands want to explore? They were completely content with their little island and peaceful trade, which made things easier for George.

The group had immediately spread out, and George had opted to venture into the rocky terrain directly in front of him. He'd seen Sapnap turn left, towards the flat plains angling downwards, but Dream seemed to disappear once they reached the island's beach. 

Whatever, he wasn't Dream's babysitter.

The mercenary's suspicions of isolation were confirmed when he turned past a rock to see a nest of Terrible Terrors asleep. He was NOT going to return with a pack of weaselly little rat dragons, Sapnap would never let him forget it.

George's foresight in snatching a dead chicken from the food chest seemed useless if there weren't any desirable dragons around. He should've used the space to take some food for himself.

It had been almost ten minutes since George had started searching, and he could feel the tension growing as much as the humidity of the air. 

Maybe rocks weren't his best bet. Desperate, George began to overturn several boulder, hoping to dislodge a Sand Wraith or something.

To George, it wasn't so much a matter of species such as a matter of being first.

Maybe the Terrible Terrors would suffice. After all, it would be funny to just enter a room carried by a swarm. Just as George was about to turn around, a piercing pain slashed his ankle, cutting through his pants like butter.

George froze. If he really needed, his modified goggles could blind a person with the fire George had experimented on for so long. He put one hand on them, keeping them on his forehead so he could locate the attacker.

Glancing down, the criminal recognised the spine of a Deadly Nadder stuck in the rock. He grabbed it, avoiding the tip. Vaguely, he recalled a school class explaining how their spikes could rarely be venomous.

Five more spines followed in rapid succession, and this time George managed to see the source.

The Nadder was gorgeous. George always thought that people calling dragons beautiful was an exaggeration, but standing ten paces away from the dragon dissolved that viewpoint quickly. It was a rich dark blue, with a white stomach. Strangely, a thin crimson sploge on it's chest reminiscent of a wound was the thing that intrigued George most. It was a female, judging from the overbite and thin body frame. It looked healthy, but the thick white lines outlining it's eyes worried George.

In fact, the eye markings reminded George of something. 

Slowly, he raised his hand up to his forehead, and dropped the glasses over his face.

The Nadder's aggressive expression waned, as if it were confused. Boldly, it strode up to George, but he wasn't afraid.

Operating almost automatically, George offered the chicken out with one hand. The Nadder squawked, a cute sound that reminded George of a pet bird he had once, and gulped it down.

George was about to retract his outstretched hand, but the smooth feeling of cool scales stopped him. He raised his goggles to see the Nadder, her eyes closed and nose pushed into George's hand in a gesture of trust.

The pair stood there for a moment, before an uncharacteristically soft crack of thunder pulled her away.

Unable to contain his excitement at the victory, George cheered. The Nadder watched him curiously, a timid hoot her only reaction.

Now it was time for the hard part.

Trying to make his good intentions known, George awkwardly shuffled to the side of the Nadder. With surprising grace, he mounted the beast. Another dorky grin erupted from his face as he found it was a perfect match. If his frame was even the smallest bit larger, the Nadder's prominent white horns might pierce his body.

The dragon seemed to react positively to the interaction, waiting until George became fully settled to take off.

It was an experience, for sure. 

The ride started off jerkily, but as the Nadder became accustomed to the extra weight it smoothed. George didn't have much experience with riding dragons, but he knew any other species wouldn't have this type of agility and focus. 

And he loved it.

Unfortunately, the victory was short lived. The rain began, and George watched as the path of wet sand began to close due to the tide returning. He imagined himself flying back to the island, fetching a dragonless Sapnap and Dream. Now that would be hilarious.

As George's Nadder landed on the fragile mast of the shipwreck, he realised she hadn't been named yet. His mind ran through the possibilities, then settled on an inside joke between Dream and himself that also fitted the colour scheme of the Nadder.

"How'd you like to be named Heatwave?"

\---

Sapnap's problems didn't lay in finding the dragons. They lay in taming the dragons.

Almost instantly after entering the plains, he'd spotted a thick knobbly brown tail poking out from a cave. He couldn't identify it by tail alone like Dream or George could, but now he wished he could.

The Gronkle hadn't taken to him kindly.

Of course, he respected that. It was cold, and judging by how the clouds looked the deadline was fast approaching.

The first thing Sapnap had tried was walking into it's cave and poking it. A stupid move, really, but 98% of Sapnap's impulse control had left.

The Gronkle had spat a molten rock ball at him, and though the heat was very nice, Sapnap had to bolt before it could snatch him up.

Frustrated, the second thing he tried was luring it out. That had gone as well as you could guess, with the lazy ass not even bothering to open it's eyes. Honestly, he was already out of ideas.

Bitter, he thought about how Dream and George had probably already captured dragons. They were most likely laughing about a stupid inside joke that Sapnap wasn't a part of, then they would laugh about how Sapnap couldn't even tame a Gronkle.

So it was time for the third strategy: 

Venting.

Hey, if the dragon wasn't going to love him he could at least use it as therapy.

The small cave the Gronkle was trying to sleep in was bordered by about five other grottos, all of them varying in size and depth. Sapnap chose one close to the ground, but he only went in far enough to avoid the cold.

"Alright, so it all started after we graduated. The three of us had no idea where to go, and the only jobs available in the whole of the Dreasmp were like, bakers and stuff. So we all said, fuck that: we're going to commit a crime. Dream did all of the dirty work, like murdering the chief, and me and George just basically helped to enforce order. So now Dream is the chief, but it's boring as HELL. So we leave. Dream is still the chief of the Dreasmp, but now he's like actively trying to enslave the archipelago. I think that's when me and the other two started to grow apart, because I was more of the crime guy and George was more of the follow-Dream-because-he's-in-charge-and-i-want-to-kiss-him-or-something guy. And then the other day Dream sent a message to L'manberk, which is like a colony of idiots, and they just ignored him, which leads us here trying to make friends with you! So if you're interested in like, burning down a village and pillaging land, we're your guys!"

Sapnap was silent for a moment, waiting for a growl or something in response. After a few moments, he stood up to see Gronkle had left, probably at the start of his rant. 

With a sigh, Sapnap sat back down and buried his head into his knees. Whatever. George would probably pick him up in his fancy new ride. 

The rain began to pour, thick and fast, and Sapnap scowled. Way to add insult to injury. The coldness of the cave crept up on him, and he tried to conserve heat by hugging his knees harder.

Wow, it actually seemed to be working!  
A relaxing warmth spread through his body, starting at his back. He lessened his grip, and looked up.

Oh.

Turns out he didn't have super hot knees.

The heat was radiating off a striped Monstrous Nightmare, it's body ignited as it stared questioningly at Sapnap.

Shocked, Sapnap shoved himself back, almost outside of the cave. The Nightmare cocked it's head, and crept back a little. 

Realising that it wasn't about to eat the absolute snack that Sapnap was, the mercenary stood and edged a little closer to it's warmth.

"Why aren't you trying to hurt me?" Sapnap asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. The Nightmare seemed to actually consider the question, before blinking at him. 

Slowly, it's fire coat dimmed, before completely extinguishing. The Nightmare lurched towards him, and Sapnap shut his eyes before realising it was extending it's neck.

Oh.

It was offering a ride.

Grinning, Sapnap inspected the beast closer. It's colouring was completely bizzare, unlike anything he'd seen before. Jagged lines of dark grey were overshadowed by similar stripes of dark yellowish-orange along it's body. It's pupils were wide and black, with a mustard yellow iris. The Nightmare's horns were more wide than long, though you could reach them from the base of it's neck. The dragon looked larger than most, so Sapnap decided it was a male.

With almost no hesitation, Sapnap fitted himself onto the neck of the Nightmare. His hands found the horns naturally, and the extremely soothing warmth emitting from the whole body of the Nightmare was perfect.

Within moments, the pair were in the air. It was almost as if Sapnap was born for this. He had finally found his niche. The unusual colouring of the dragon earned him his name.

"Mars."

\---

Sapnap had finally returned to the wreck to see George, daintily perched atop the mast while riding a Nadder. He would have joined him, but Mars would probably cause the collapse of the wretched thing, so they landed on the sand. 

George had joined him in seconds, and Sapnap noticed with obvious glee that he had trouble dismantling the dragon. Unlike George, Sapnap stood with ease.

"Really? You could have gone for almost any dragon in the archipelago, and you go with one that sets itself on fire?" George's tone was condescending, but Sapnap shrugged it off.

"Each to their own. And you can't start judging when your dragon is a girl." With a reassuring pat to Mars, Sapnap approached the Nadder, who didn't look as if it had a single thought in it's life.

With a grin, Sapnap uttered one of the few jokes he was in on. "Hey mamas." It got a smile out of George, which was what he was aiming for.

"What's his name?" George questioned, gesturing to the Nightmare that was looking at him with clear aggression. Maybe it understood his rant, and was homophobic or something. It was probably just because George seemed uncomfortable.

"Mars. He's so cool, I'm pretty sure that he already understands we're best friends." The Nightmare growled in approval, before going back to glaring daggers at George.

"Nice name. This is Heatwave." George patted the Nadder, but Sapnap could see he was slightly reluctant to put his hand anywhere near the reptile.

A boom of thunder rang out, startling the dragons and their riders. George bit his lip, a trait that emerged when he was nervous.

"Do you think we need to go get Dream?" George asked, trying to see the dry path they had used previously.

Sapnap let out a scoff. "Please, that man would swim across the ocean before he let us help him." 

Nonetheless, the four beings were silent as they tried to listen for a call.

Another crack of lightning, followed by an even louder echo of thunder. Sapnap noticed the Nadder looking in the air, pupils slitted and teeth bared. Whatever, it'd probably seen a seagull.

Another burst of weather, this time drawing a comment from George. "The lightning's wrong. Most of the time thunder doesn't even follow."

Sapnap scanned the sky, realising he was right. The bolts of lightning were too frequent for only two or three thunders.

It was then that Dream appeared.

The mercenaries heard it before they saw it: a high pitched yell of pure joy. George was about to react before a bolt of pure, blinding white light struck the mast of the ship. When the light cleared, it revealed an overjoyed Dream atop a snarling Skrill.

"THIS IS YOUR BEST IDEA YET, GEORGE!"

The Skrill effortlessly made it's way down to where the criminals were standing. As it neared, Sapnap registered how frayed and black Dream's prized neon-green cloak looked, how thin lines of pure electricity danced around his fingers and his hair stood up. Dream dismantled, not quite as well as Sapnap had but still better than George. Sapnap half expected the Skrill to bolt, but it stayed loyal. 

Silently, Sapnap thought it was a little ugly. Sure, the emerald green scales were nice, but it's eyes were too intelligent. Maybe he just didn't like Skrills.

"How the fuck?" George asked, breathless as he gawked at the dragon. Sapnap reached back to reassure Mars again.

"Ooh, you have no idea! I SAY WE TAKE L'MANBERK TONIGHT!" Dream yelled, louder than he probably wanted.

Sapnap took a breath. He decided it was just this particular Skrill, it seemed too unpredictable. Not to mention the way it was looking at Mars. Sap had only known Mars for about an hour, but he was ready to rock that electric bitch's shit if it even looked at his dragon wrong.

"Dream, we need sleep. We'll plan tomorrow, then attack at night. The dragons are too riled up, and you definitely need to electricity-proof your clothes." Sapnap spoke, surprising himself with the calmness of his words. Usually the roles were reversed, with Dream calming him down.

George placed a hand on Dream's shoulder. A bitter tinge of resentment told Sapnap that Dream would only agree because George wanted him too.

Slowly, Dream nodded. His grin faded, and Sapnap noticed for the first time the dark circles around his eyes.

"We need to introduce you, anyway. This is Mars," Sapnap said with a gesture towards his wonderful dragon. "And that is Heatwave." Sapnap pointed distastefully at the 'no thoughts head empty' dragon.

Dream smiled, with a pointed look at George. Probably a reference Sapnap didn't get.

The mastermind turned to look at his own dragon, a gloved hand running down it's snarling flat head.

"Say hello to Nightmare, everybody."


	4. 4: I'm Not Melodramatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur returns to a fallen L'manberk.

Here's a life lesson:

When introducing your cannibal dragon, make sure it's in a secluded forest area.

"THAT'S A CANNIBAL DRAGON, WILBUR! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" It was kind of hilarious how high Dr Halo's voice grew when he was exasperated.

"Ok, fair point, but let me counter: Free population control?" 

The doctor put his face in hands. It was morning of Wilbur's last internship day, and after seeing how well the community handled dragons he made a spontaneous choice to introduce Jubilee.

It wasn't going so well.

"IF IT HAD THE CHANCE, THAT DRAGON WOULD EAT RAT. WHY DID YOU BRING IT HERE!" Dr Halo stepped back, arms spread out as if he could stop the Death Song from eating his precious Gronkle.

Jubilee, of course, probably would have eaten the wretched thing already if Wilbur hadn't given him a stern look. He was eyeing the small, knobbly light grey dragon with extreme interest, and Wilbur privately thought that it would be no great loss to the Badlands if something were to happen.

"Oh please. You're going to tell me if a Terrible Terror waltzed into this clearing right now and jumped into Rat's mouth, she wouldn't at least taste it? As a little treat??"

"NO, HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK THAT WAS OKAY? WHAT HAVE- Wilbur. What have you been feeding that dragon for the past week?"

The silence in the air grew tense as the pair made eye contact.

Wilbur nudged the massive amber-coloured dragon, whose focus on the Gronkle only seemed to grow more intense.

Bad threw his head back, and let out a yell. After a few seconds, he stopped. The doctor glanced at the Death Song warily, and sighed.

"Fine. Fine, fine, fine. As long as he doesn't eat any of the tamed dragons, Jubilee can stay. He deserves a right to be here."

Wilbur felt a swell of relief. His instincts were finally right, he finally chose the right person to tell.

"Thank you, Bad. I needed you to know before I went back home."

The doctor nodded, before giving a final warning.

"But if it hurts Rat? Or Skeppy and Invaded? I'm a healer, but..."

Wilbur had thought that the doctor was harmless, a doctor that hated conflict. But after seeing his ferocity in that sentence and the way he held his sword, he wasn't quite sure.

The two climbed onto their respective dragons, a comfortable silence settling as they ascended. The thrill of flight hadn't changed in the many times he'd taken off on that first night of flying.

The small community of the Badlands hadn't changed since Wilbur had accompanied Phil and Techno on a trip there many years ago. They held a different leadership system to L'manberk, which Wilbur hadn't bothered to learn. The only thing he knew was that every month they celebrated with a festival in honour of an egg, which was his favourite part of their culture. 

Wilbur grinned as Jubilee's oversized body landed with a thud in the town square. Obviously a Death Song would attract attention, so within minutes three of the more respected Badlandians were circling the beast.

Even though it wouldn't come down to it, Wilbur began to calculate attack routes. Take out Skeppy's Flightmare first, and go for it's mouth. Wilbur hadn't had much experience with Hobblegrunts, so Ant's dragon was a wild card. Finally, Sam's green-eyed Razorwhip could be a problem, but Jubilee was far larger than it anyway. 

"Wait, guys! It's okay! That's Wilbur's dragon! He does have one!" Bad's familiar voice emitting from above was a relief, but Wilbur didn't feel a change in the tense mood.

"Are you sure? It looks pretty untamed." Sam noted, his loaded crossbow an extra caution as he observed the dragon from Fran's back.

"Well, fuck you too." Wilbur scowled, casually dismounting the dragon with a reassuring pat. Jubilee's frills flickered open and shut, a sign that he was unsure if he could trust these people. Wilbur couldn't see his eyes, but he expected they were slitted.

With less grace than one of Tommy's swimming dives, Rat landed and promptly fell asleep. Affectionately, Bad gave her a scratch.

The Death Song growled as it whipped around to face the Flightmare head on. Wilbur hadn't known Invaded for long, but he was one of Will's least favourite dragons. The L'manberkian had seen how quickly that blue mist could paralyse a dragon, and right now Skeppy didn't seem that eager to hold Invaded back.

"Come on guys, he's leaving tonight. Just endure it." Bad was trying to be discreet, but Wilbur wasn't stupid. He narrowed his eyes.

Slowly, the dragons relaxed at the hand of their owners.

"So, how fast does that thing fly?" Skeppy asked, his uncomfortable demeanour fading away in the face of a challenge.

Wilbur grinned, his cockiness surfacing. "Want to find out?"

___

Absolutely decimated.

Every single dragon in this place was dogwater at flying compared to Jubilee.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOO, SUCK IT WARDEN BOYYYY" Wilbur cheered as the yellow victory ribbon snapped, confirming his first place status for the thirty-somethingith time.

Wilbur could hear Sam's curses emitting from behind him, which only widened his smirk.

After a few victory laps, Wilbur landed. Sam reluctantly accepted the handshake, and the ever so slightly lime-tinged Fran ignored Jubilee's attempts to play.

"Now this is an island of sore losers. ANYONE UP FOR ROUND THIRTY-EIGHT?" Wilbur cried, off-balance.

"Unfortunately, we have to get you home." Bad noted through gritted teeth. "Are you going to bring Jubilee back to L'manberk?"

This sobered Wilbur up. The crushing, contradictory thoughts returned. He could never take Jubilee back, it didn't matter if Techno was indifferent. Schlatt or Phil or someone else would shoot both of them.

The L'manberkian shook his head. "He's tired, I'm gonna let him home up in his den. Or, wherever Death Songs sleep." Wilbur chose the sentence carefully, making sure not to mention Jubilee's surely growing hunger.

"Alright, I'll get the boats ready." Bad smile seemed a little fake. Maybe he was disappointed to leave.

"I'll come too!" Skeppy yelled quickly, and the two shuffled off quickly.

A quick glance at Ant showed Will was the only clueless one on the small peninsula. Whatever, he would wonder about it later. 

After a few goodbyes, Wilbur found himself ready to board the small birch boat. The layout of the village was complicated, and the only way to get in was from an opening from the water. It was even protected from the skies, as impossibly tall cairns made the Badlands invisible.

Wilbur decided to strike up a conversation as Bad rowed. A frown formed as he noticed the thick thunder clouds beginning to form.

"So, why did you move to L'manberk?"

The Doctor looked at him, expression impossible to read. "Well, I guess I just wanted to travel. I'll admit, that trip back home made me nostalgic. Something about the old houses reminded me of better times."

Wilbur knew what he meant. He'd grown up in L'manberk and knew the large village inside out. A memory of his younger self suddenly surfaced, planning his rise to becoming the chief. He remembered his whole journal on how to improve the island, until Phil found it. How could he forget his quietly enraged father throwing it on the fire before reminding him that Techno was the eldest? 

He swallowed. God, he had forgotten about that.

"Oh, we're almost here!" Bad said, snapping Wilbur out of his thoughts.

Wilbur picked up the second set of oars to help navigate the sharp turn around the tall rocks. The wide boat barely got through, wood scraping stone as they turned and drove the tip into a sandbank.

Yet almost as soon as they hit the beach, Wilbur wished they didn't.

The middle child couldn't process it all at once, so he only focused on small things as he desperately sprinted up the stairs leading to L'manberk.

The choking taste of smoke, pushing it's way down into his lungs.

The cry of pain and anger from a voice that could only be Niki's.

And finally, 

The foul scent of burnt flesh.

Panting, Wilbur didn't dare stop as he approached a circle of people. Pushing through them, he saw two people kneeling over a young teenager.

His heart dropped. 

The thoughts grew quicker. 'No please tommy tommy please dont be tommy please i cant this is awful tommy please be alright tommy tommy' 

But as Wilbur fell to his knees, trying to get a better look at the unconscious teenager, he could hear Tommy's constant wailing. 

Oh. 

It was Tommy clinging to the boy, tears running down his face as he buried his sobs into the other teen's chest.

And it was Niki, checking for a pulse through wet eyes.

But who was the boy? Who was the possibly dead kid that Tommy would mourn for?

A closer examination of the boy's face revealed Wilbur's fears. Raw, red flesh in an odd pattern made it hard to discern his features, but Wilbur could recognise Tubbo.

"His heart is still beating, but he's- I don't know!" Niki was trying to keep the tears at bay, but it wasn't working. 

Wilbur felt the world go silent as he watched, almost from the back of his mind. Bad pushing through the crowd, before recruiting several people's help to carry him to a safer place. 

Wilbur's face curled into a mask of fury. He didn't have time to be sad, so he would be angry. Schlatt was nowhere to be seen. Even when his own son was seriously injured, Schlatt was probably off somewhere hungover.

A thick bolt of lightning illuminated the town square, landing exactly on the thick grass of Wilbur's house.

Will's eyes only took seconds to adjust, but they were clear enough to see the neon green figure perched atop a Skrill. He did nothing for a few seconds, utterly aghast, as two more large dragons joined him from who knows where. 

Wilbur knew the dragon species, of course. One of them was a snarling Nightmare, the other a Nadder that looked like it's brain had been caught in the lightning blast.

The Skrill's rider let out a laugh. It was menacing how carefree he was. As the man dismantled the green beast, Wilbur realised he was the only one left in the square.

"Where is it?"

Wilbur could barely hear the man's singsong voice over the heavy rain.

As he approached leisurely, Will got a good look at him. He was wearing a long sleeved neon green shirt with a badly drawn smiley face. It didn't seem 100% cotton or polyester, and with a dragon like that Wilbur assumed he must have laced it with some kind of rubber. The same material covered his legs. The man wore boots that made him taller than even Wilbur, and his black gloves seemed worn. Something about the way he wore no armour (other than a strange face mask that matched his ugly shirt) infuriated Wilbur. 

His two cronies in the back didn't move. It seemed as if one of them, the one on the discoloured Nightmare, was trying to converse but being ignored.

"Where is what, exactly?" Wilbur challenged, his fingers flexing into a fist.

The man laughed, and Wilbur wanted to hit that stupid mask right off him.

"Oh, you know. That fucking Nightmare. I know you're Blade's brother. He might have mentioned me, you ever heard of Dream? Anyway, at first I thought it was the little blonde one, but he lied to me. You want to know what he said?"

Wilbur could feel his muscles tensing. He didn't dignify the taunt with a response, but he knew that the man had no idea about Jubilee.

"He said he had no idea where the dragon was. Fucking kid can't even lie properly. So, me and Nightmare over here gave his friend a little memory jog." The man's voice was laced with superiority, Wilbur could hear him smiling.

As the pair faced off, Wilbur tried to hide his sudden regret. Oh god, he'd gotten Tubbo electrocuted by telling Tommy to keep his mouth shut.

"I'll ask you one more time. Where is it?"

Wilbur took a breath. He was about to answer, about to lie to this psychopath, when an almost inhuman yell shredded through the clearing.

It caught Dream off guard. He turned to the left, to see a rapidly approaching drunkard. Without stopping, he barrelled into the neon man.

It wasn't something anyone had expected. Obviously not Dream, but Wilbur didn't know that Schlatt even cared about Tubbo. The two cronies didn't expect it either, as they sat gobsmacked for a second as the furious councilman pummelled the masked man.

It all happened in a flash. The Nadder was there, pulling Schlatt off Dream. Schlatt was still kicking, punching, screaming out things Wilbur couldn't understand, mostly cursing but also insulting Dream as he rose into the air.

Dream stood up, his mask broken and pride wounded. It was cracked off at the bottom, and Wilbur could see a glimpse of blood. The visible side of his mouth was in a snarl as he reached into his belt to pull out an axe.

He moved quickly, faster than Wilbur had thought possible. In seconds, the axe was held to Wilbur's throat.

"Where the fuck is your little Monstrous Nightmare?" Dream's voice rose, his tone becoming harsher by the second.

"I'll tell you, but I need a minute to think about it. Hey, kill me now if you want, but my dragon will hunt you down. Now that I think about it, Techno's probably already pretty angry as well." Wilbur said with a smirk, his quick thinking finally in his favour.

Dream released the axe ever so slightly, and stood back to catch his breath. "Tick tock."

Wilbur took a deep breath. He would have preferred a guitar to play this on, but didn't have that luxury.

"I think this time I'm dying~" 

Will's voice was shaky at first, but as he found the rhythm of the song it grew louder and steadier.

"I'm not melodramatic, I'm just pragmatic beyond any reasoning, for thinking I've got fucking rabies or something~"

"I think this time I'm dying~"

"I think this time I'm dying~"

"SHUT UP! You have a minute of last words left and you use them for singing?" Dream shouted, and Wilbur hoped the song would be enough.

"You know, Dream, there's one thing I've noticed about Death Songs." Wilbur said, taking the offensive.

"You've got five seconds before I-" The neon man was cut off by a familiar, screeching melody.

Wilbur grinned as the three remaining dragons took off instantly, two of them taking their owners. The Nadder dropped Schlatt, who groaned so loudly Wilbur could hear. Apparently they weren't tamed enough to resist Jubilee's call. 

"They look an awful lot like Monstrous Nightmares from the ground."

Dream took a few seconds to think, to compose himself, and that was when Wilbur kicked him. Right in the stomach, just as Techno had told him.

Opting to run, Wilbur barely got a metre away before Dream pursued, axe in hand.

But this was enough time for Jubilee.

Wilbur had always admired Death Songs. They were one of the only dragons whose lesson (taught by Techno) he had payed attention to. He loved how they could mimic, how they could shoot amber,

And how they could carry three full sized dragons including two riders and amber, without even breaking a sweat. One in mouth, one in tail, one in claws.

Wilbur suspected that if Jubilee's mouth wasn't full with the amberized Monstrous Nightmare, he would have let out a screech. Instead, he settled for dropping the dragons nearby and immediately trapping Dream's legs in a way that Wilbur himself had faced. 

The axe spun to the ground, and Wilbur kicked it away victoriously. 

Ignoring Dream, Wilbur ran to embrace Jubilee. They hugged for a long time, longer than Wilbur could count.

Finally, Will turned around, hoping he could inspect the antagonistic dragons better.

Instead, he was faced with an army of very confused, some very angry L'manberkians and one shocked father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is 'Saline Solution' By Wilbur! :) 
> 
> Not sure why I put my favourite Wilbur song on my least favourite chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy a little bit :)


	5. 5: Look, I know I must sound insane.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur goes on trial, and I use the word 'obviously' way too many times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I just wanted to let y'all know that this story is all over the place. I am just doing it for fun :) If you do find any plot holes, I'd like to hear them. Thank you for reading!!
> 
> Song is 'Internet Ruined Me', by Wilbur Soot on all platforms!

Nine days.

It had taken nine and a half days for Techno to even look at him, and now he was here. Standing in Wilbur's doorframe, his head barely scraping the top and his eye contact unwavering.

If it hadn't been for his brothers, Wilbur would have starved. Or at least, one of his brothers. 

Tommy's food was always burned, or covered in extremely mammoth sized piles of salt, but Wilbur was grateful nonetheless. How he even managed to make meals in between his hours visiting the closest thing they had to a hospital on L'manberk, Wilbur didn't know.

"So, have they decided what to do with me yet? Throw me off a cliff, perhaps? That would be ironic." Will's tone was dry. Techno was silent for a few seconds, his eyes scanning the destroyed wreck of his room.

Jubilee was probably already dead. Killed by Techno as soon as Phil dragged Wilbur back to his room and locked him in there for nine and a half days. Wilbur had decided early on there would be serious property damage.

"I thought you should be there to see the outcome. The council's in a frenzy, especially Schlatt."

Wilbur's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape. "Are you sure?"

Techno rubbed his temple, before trying to hide a small smirk. "Phil thought you should stay here, but Phil didn't raise you."

The statement was true enough. Phil was barely home, and whenever he was it was to berate his children. Techno tried to be there, but as he grew older Phil became obsessed with his and only his status. It was sad, but correct. At least Phil cared about the physical health of his children. Wilbur had turned out fine, he supposed.

"They're starting in three minutes, are you coming or not?" Just like Techno, impatient as always.

Wilbur nodded, and took a shaky breath as he accompanied down the stairs and finally into the outside.

Wow.

It was worse in daylight. Though he lived on the second floor, Wilbur's room didn't have any windows. So the blackened lightning strike patterns on most surfaces of L'manberk were quite a surprise. Some of the houses were damaged, but there was clearly an effort to reconstruct.

As they crossed the town square, Wilbur couldn't help stealing a glance at the prison. Somewhere inside of the foreboding black structure was an amberized Dream. If Wilbur got out of this alive, he wanted to talk to him. Maybe even have a word with his friends.

The town hall was one of Wilbur's favourite structures, but today it gave him a knot of anxiety. Build around a ravine, Tommy had nicknamed it Pogtopia for some unknown reason. Maybe an inside joke with Tubbo. The thought brought back stinging regret. He'd have to visit Tubbo as well.

Silently, Wilbur followed Techno's lead down the newly fenced paths, to the bottom of the ravine. The council didn't have an exact meeting place, so today there were various members perched on different ledges, looking down on Phil.

The small gathering grew silently as they saw Techno and Wilbur approaching. The strained atmosphere was unbearable, but Wilbur kept his head down as they joined Phil.

Not even a glance. Phil's focus was on Techno and only Techno.

"I thought we agreed to not bring him here." The father hissed. He looked fine, and Wilbur suspected he hadn't lost a wink of sleep over his child's house arrest.

Schlatt, on the other hand, was the opposite. Dark circles ringed his gold-tinted eyes, which darted back and forward, towards the exit. His suit was crooked, and Wilbur suspected that he was unusually sober. A once-white cast around one of his legs was dirty, possibly from the Nadder dropping him. Finally, he seemed to be the last one to notice Wilbur. His attention was suffocating, and Wilbur tried to avoid looking at him.

"He has a right to be here. And you don't want to send him away now, do you?" Techno's voice was noticeably louder, audible to the council members intently listening. Wilbur felt a stab of gratitude. Techno was taking care of him in his own way.

"Fine. We'll discuss it later." Phil turned to the crowd, his voice returning to the easy going chief they knew and loved. "We stand here today to discuss the fate of Wilbur Soot, brother of my sons Technoblade and Tommy, and his supposedly tamed dragon. Our established speaking order will not be changed."

The phrasing of it made Wilbur flare up in rage, but he kept his expression neutral. Anything to keep Phil's perfect chief reputation untainted.

Schlatt seemed to be the first one appointed to speak. He grew more anxious looking as everyone turned to look at him, but didn't take his focus off Wilbur.

"Listen, everybody. Loverboy did some questionable things. He brought a fucking Death Song onto the island. But he saved my- our ass, alright? I reckon we give him a stern talking to, maybe some more community service hours with Halo and that's it."

That drew a collection of murmurs and quite a few objections. But Wilbur was the most surprised. Schlatt? Defending him? It was unheard of. And his slip up? He'd probably done something bad he was trying to disguise. Wilbur finally made eye contact with the man. His expression didn't shift.

"Noted. Ms Nihachu, please provide your statement." Phil's tone would have sounded normal to anyone else, but Wilbur and probably Techno could recognise the subdued anger. He was probably counting on Schlatt to demonize him.

"Why are we even discussing this! Will caught three criminals, as well as their dragons. I think he should be rewarded! And clearly his dragon should not be harmed. Personally, I think it's stupid that you put it in the prison, Chief Phil." She didn't know about Will's history with Phil, but the way she spat out his title was music to his ears.

"Jubilee's alive?" Wilbur blurted out, the hope in his voice clear. God, Niki was amazing. Techno stepped on him, a heeled boot connecting with his foot an explicit warning to keep his mouth shut.

"Noted. Mr Live, please provide your statement."

Fundy stood up, as if he already had his words prepared. But he hesitated for a second before speaking. 

"Wait, do you think my last name is Live? Phil?"

Phil coughed uncomfortably. "Please provide your statement."

"I'VE TOLD YOU! IT'S LITERALLY FOX! YOUR CHILDREN HAVE MADE FUN OF IT FOR YEARS!" It seemed to set Fundy off, and Wilbur couldn't help smiling. He was the number one perpetrator of the nickname, after all.

Fundy was a little older than Tommy, but still younger than Wilbur and Techno. He was also the only orphan on the island, and something about that sad fact had created a father-son dynamic between the two of them. Wilbur always felt strangely protective over the orange-haired kid with fox-like features.

"Okay, we get it. Please provide your statement." Phil said through gritted teeth. Fundy took a breath.

"I honestly don't have any strong opinions on this. I don't think Will should be punished, but we can't just leave the Death Song alive." Fundy sat back down.

The room was silent for a few seconds. Wilbur was a little irritated, but he understood Fundy's reasoning.

"Noted. Dr Halo, please provide your statement."

Bad had been mostly silent for the meeting, but pulled out a few cards in preparation. As he was preparing to speak, he thought about the votes so far. Three for him, One for his dragon and one against his dragon. He wasn't sure if Schlatt cared about Jubilee, but WIlbur wouldn't put violence past him.

"Hello everyone! As you know, Wilbur had been away with me for a week long internship to the Badlands. As you might recall, the Badlands is a community where we've tamed dragons, myself included. I had to leave my beloved Rat behind because L'manberk doesn't...accommodate the usage of tamed dragons. It was on this internship that Will revealed to me he had gained the trust of Jubilee."

The reactions varied greatly. Phil looked momentarily angry before covering it up, Techno feigned surprise, Niki was grinning, Fundy was confused and Schlatt was switching between neutral and looking at the stairs.

"At first, I was alarmed. Obviously. So were my fellow Badlandians. But, we changed. Jubilee was extremely well behaved, not to mention a bad winner. So I think we can change too. These bandits managed to tame dragons, why can't we? Think about the island's defence. Thank you for listening."

After Wilbur had gotten over the impression of someone awkwardly saying a presentation, he was shocked. Two for his dragon, Four for him.

"Noted. Technoblade, please present your final thoughts on the matter. The verdict of Wilbur Soot and his Death Song will be decided via vote." Wilbur scowled as he recognised the expression Phil gave to Techno. The infamous 'Do it my way, or I'll fuck you up'.

Techno cleared his throat. 

"I'm not going to stand here and pretend I wasn't surprised when Wilbur showed up with a Death Song." Techno glanced at Wilbur. "But I agree with Dr Halo. You saw how easily Dream got through you without Phil and I. You saw how easily he put Tubbo in a coma. He knew what day the storm would be on, and he knew what day I would leave. My experiences with Dream haven't been exaggerated."

Techno let out a sigh, quiet enough that only Wilbur could hear.

"I'm going to be chief one day. And I think that I would be a better chief with a dragon by my side, despite the personal history going on between me and that general species. Thank you."

Techno returned back to his place next to Phil, looking straight ahead.

"Noted. Could all in favour of exterminating the Death Song please raise your hand."

Fundy raised his hand. 

Phil waited a few seconds, then a few more.

Nobody else moved.

"Could all in favour of freeing the Death Song and Wilbur Soot please raise your hand."

Niki was first, followed by Techno. Bad was next, and eventually Schlatt relented as well. Wilbur knew that he probably wasn't included in the vote, but his hand shot up.

"Decided. Council adjourned."

Wilbur grinned, before wrapping his arms around Techno. The elder brother didn't return the hug, but gave him an awkward pat on the head before pulling away. Wilbur felt a small weight slip into his coat pocket.

Wilbur turned and ran up the stairs, knowing that he would acknowledge the rest later. He was second only to Schlatt, who seemed to want to get out of there as soon as possible and was sprinting up the stairs like a mountain goat.

His beeline for the prison didn't go unnoticed by the unimportant citizens of L'manberk, who called out to him. Will ignored them. 

The prison's design had been specifically done by Sam on a trip to L'manberk. It was similar to horse stables, with one open pathway through the middle with cells on either side. Wilbur barely noticed how they'd been redesigned in the last nine days for each prisoner as he scanned them intently. Finally, he came to the last cell.

Jubilee's frills flared before noticing it was him. The massive dragon was cramped, even in the largest cell. He sat in the corner, against the wall, before coming as close as he could to the bars. Chains on Jubilee's tail and legs made for a horrible sight, not to mention the iron muzzle.

Wilbur scowled. But as he unlocked the door, and the chains one by one, he realised the anger would have to wait.

The embrace wasn't quick. Wilbur muttered apologies into amber scales, but Jubilee seemed just as happy to see him again.

Anxious to get outside, Wilbur began to lead the dragon through the stone path. Yet a neon flash stopped him.

Jubilee looked at him, before sauntering out of the place in a mismatched gait similar to a large bird of prey. Wilbur didn't mind, the dragon deserved freedom. Not to mention the hell it would raise.

It was eerie, the way Dream's torso was frozen. His face was to Wilbur, but that wasn't why Will had stopped. It seemed as if they allowed him to keep his clothes (or just couldn't get them off), but not his mask. It was clear why he wore it.

A gruesome scar cut deep into the villain's face. It had the white flesh of a wound given long ago, and Wilbur wondered what kind of weapon could do that. The not so subtle curve of the disfigurement made Wilbur's stomach drop; Whoever had done this had taken the long amount of time to recreate a smiley face, and made it hurt.

"Why don't you freeze my face, it'll last longer." Dream's tone didn't seem angry, just bored.

Wilbur took a step back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the two cronies still stuck to their dragons. At least they were alive, he thought with a breath of relief. The Skrill was covered the most in amber, with only it's head free.

"Who did that?" Wilbur said, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer he already knew.

"The amber, or the scar?" Dream raised an eyebrow, and Wilbur got the impression that he was the one being interrogated.

"The scar, idiot."

"Take a wild fucking guess, dumbass."

Wilbur hadn't expected the criminal to return his energy. "It was Techno, wasn't it?"

Dream snickered bitterly, his free hand curling as much as it could. "We were fighting, in L'manberk actually. I got a little too into it, and told him some real bad shit I can't even remember. Well, that really set him off. You were pretty young but weren't there. Blonde bitch wasn't even born yet. He hacked my face up real good, right in front of everyone. Phil had to pull him off me, but piggy did manage to get a few extra curb stomps in."

Wilbur didn't move, but the story seemed to be finished. "What happened next?"

"I learned that I wouldn't make that mistake again. My friends found me half dead. Everyday I've been waiting, training for the chance I get to make it up to him. And you, my friend, fucked it up." Dream laughed, and Wilbur felt sick. Suddenly he didn't want to talk anymore.

"I can tell you're about to leave. But I've got nothing to lose, Wilbur Soot." Dream's expression changed, ever so slightly, but Wilbur couldn't deduct the emotion.

"Tell Schlatt I said hi. Oh, and thank him for the intel, I couldn't have gotten in without him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to do this for a while, so here are where the dragon names are from. It will be updated soon!
> 
> Jubilee - Wilbur's song 'Jubilee Line'. Just thought it was fitting for a music dragon.  
> Rat - BadboyHalo's nickname for his irl dog. I thought it was cute :)  
> Invaded - The name of Skeppy's minecraft server. Legit couldn't think of anything else.  
> Fran - Awesamdude's dog on the DreamSMP!   
> Mars - Sapnap's pet fish on the DreamSMP! I made the Nightmare fit it's colour scheme.  
> Heat Waves - A very big inside joke in the mcyt fandom about a dnf fanfic. I gave it to George's Nadder because I thought it was funny.  
> Nightmare - The name of Dream's sword on the DreamSMP! I'm planning to do something similar with another character hehehe


End file.
